Coming to a middle

I cry your pardon for this taking so long, however, I have been attempting to finish "The Wedding" post. It for some reason has become a saga that I cannot finish. At this point it will just have to wait until a later time.

There is much to post about. Since June 15th I have done much. Since my last post I have become one of the hundreds of thousands of people to learn how to breath underwater. Unfortunately or fortunately (however you may want to view it) I was not a part of a Mad Scientists experiment to give humans gills. I took several classes and became certified as a Open Water Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) Diver.

Just for the record, I have always loved the water. I cannot remember a Summer (and sometimes a winter) when I have not gone swimming. I am no Olympic Swimmer by any stretch of the imagination, but I am more than just comfortable in the water. So, SCUBA was not that far of a stretch for me. I have always wanted to do it and it only took a slight nudge in the right direction for it to become a reality.

If some of you will recall there was another Wedding post last year were my Step-sister got hitched. During her honeymoon, her husband went SCUBA diving. Only a couple of dives but enough to get hooked on it. Upon their return, he started recalling the experience and said that he would like to get certified. However, he did not want to do so alone. Not even a heartbeats wait and I told him that I would more than happy to go with him. And that is how the journey began.

So, far I only have 8 dives outside the training dives, but, they were awesome. Nothing more than a few hours in a local lake, with a visibility of a little over 8 feet (for South Carolina anything over your hand in front of your face is epic), a few trout, a snapping turtle, a forest, and a sunken boat. But it was enough to get me hooked. And I would suggest it to anyone.

I also went on my first date. I will wait a minute and let that sink in.......You heard true, my first date. It was nothing spectacular or anything, but I learned (again) that woman will not rip your heart out and eat it if you ask them out. And every once in a while, they say yes. Also, for the record there was no second date. There was a mutual agreement of zero chemistry.

And now to the point of this post. We went to trial today. When I say we, I mean the woman that caused the wreck and the Ladies (Officer M, Agent L, and Agent S). I was not subpoenaed as a witness or anything, I was just there for moral support.

A couple of months after the wreck, they received notification that the case was going to a Jury Trial. A month or two ago the case was supposed to be heard, but the defence attorney conveniently had a General Sessions case that took precedence over this meager Magistrate level case.

Today it went forward. It was interesting to watch such a simple case get muddied with emotions (mine included). It was also interesting to see the difference between Law Enforcement in court and the average Joe in court.

The Trial started at 1600 hrs sharp. However, the Ladies (and families), Marshall #2, and myself were there well ahead of time, and dressed for court (suits and nooses for the men and conservative dresses for the Ladies). The defendant, her family, and her "witness" arrived about 5 minutes early. The defendant was the only one dressed for court. The rest of her entourage arrived in street clothes.

After the ladies had their necessary pretrial talk with the Assistant Solicitor (Assistant District Attorney for you all not in South Carolina), we were all asked to find a seat in the Court Room. Again, as stated earlier the jury trail began at 1600 hrs sharp.

Opening arguments were uninteresting compared to those that are generally heard during a General Sessions hearing, but both Attorneys got their point across. The first witness called was the Investigating Highway Patrolman. He looked about Twelve, but spoke with the authority and knowledge of any experienced Law Officer. He laid out the facts in a simple and plain manor. Considering those involved, i.e. Officers, I found the investigation...lacking (Not because they are my friends, but because of all the civil issues that could arise from such a collision), but not to the fault of the Patrolman.

Evidently, his Superiors made a judgement call as to whether or not to bring out all the fancy CSI gear that everyone was so expecting. Upon hearing that the only charges were going to be "Failure to Yield Right of Way" with no fatalities involved, the Superior advised that the given statements (from those involved and witnesses) would be enough to make the charge.

Upon hearing this, the Defense jumped all over the Patrolman, trying to get him to admit that the investigation was done improperly. Bait attempt after bait attempt failed to the point of actually helping the State.

After the Patrolman my friends were paraded up onto the stand and all spoke of what they saw that day. The Defence did not cross examine any of the Ladies, I do not know why exactly. Perhaps it was because he knew that any attempt to trip them up would fail horribly, due to past experience or out of respect for what they went through. But, I was impressed that he did not question them.

With the State resting, the true Circus began. If I had not been there I would not believe that what I saw happened, but it did.

The first witness for the Defense was the Son of the Defendant. His only purpose was to enter evidence, multiple pictures of the car that the Defendant was driving and a printed map of the intersection from Google Maps with street view. The State objected, mostly at the adamant behest of the Ladies. The grounds...the State did not provide any pictures during their case. I will not go into why this is just stupid, only that half an hour passed before the objection was overruled. And know that most of the argument from the State was from the Ladies, not from the Solicitor. Half the time the Judge was practically begging the Solicitor to give him a sound argument. But none came and the pictures were allowed.

The next witness was called and he told what he saw. He was on a side street looking the intersection and red light, saw the Defendant pull out cautiously to turn, tires squealed, and cars collided. Simple right...wrong. By the time the Solicitor got done cross-examining him, he did not know up from down, and they were simple clarification questions using the very map the Defense provided.

Here I really must credit the Judge for his patience, because at this point everyone in the audience (myself included) was trying to correct this "witness", and not quietly. In any other courtroom, every single one of us would have been held in contempt and bared from the court...forever. This Judge only looked at us and we became quiet.

Next, was the Defendant, whose testimony was straight forward, "I had the arrow." She did not move on that statement.

Then there was the closing arguments, more objections from both sides during both arguments, before the Jury was charged with what they were to find and they were sent to deliberate. After what felt like an hour or more the Jury came back with a Guilty verdict. The sentence for all the heartache and trouble caused by such an emotionally charged trial...$155 fine.

Not unexpected, it was only a Failure to Yield Right of Way charge and the Judge took into consideration the fact that the Defendant had a squeaky clean driving record (maximum fine is $250 something I believe). Court was then adjourned.

We walked slowly to our vehicles. The Ladies were emotionally drained. Little was spoken. What conversation there was, centered around our actions in court. We all know better than to speak out in court, but for a group of people not used to giving up control it was understandable...not justifiable by any means.

The Ladies thanked me for being there. Before we went our seperate ways, I made the statement that I was glad that it was finally over and done. Agent L reminded me that this was only the middle for her. That many years still lay ahead in her road to recovery and mayhap a civil suit or two.

Semper Fi Deus

Goose

A Year

Hard to believe I know, but one year ago, I began Chronicling my "adventures". A lot has changed in the past year, but mostly, things have just stayed the same. As they always seem to do.

After 35 posts and a lot of heart felt words put in an open forum for all to see, not much has changed. Sure, I am a little heavier, a little more scarred (both mentally and physically), and hopefully a little wiser.

10 things that I have learned in the past year:

1) Always wear a seat belt. Seat belts saved the lives of 4 of my colleagues. Before the wreck, if I was in a Crown Victoria or on a warrant team, it would be a rare occasion that I would actually wear this important piece of safety equipment. Due to the fact that it hampered my ability to "jump out". Now, I realize that getting to the location is half the battle.

2) Judges are not as scary as I once thought. Just because they hold sway over the lives of a lot of people. Does not mean they are out to get me. There are a lot of other things to be concerned with.

3) Friends are hard to come by. As Agent L learned the hard way, just because people work with you does not mean they are your friends. People who say they will go to the ends of the Earth for you during the good times, often find better things to do when you actually need their help. Even if all that is, is an encouraging word or a visit when one is lonely.

4) Do not waist a chance to get out of Dodge. Some opportunities only come around once in a life time. Just because things might get better, does not mean that they will, and does not mean that you should stick around just to see what happens. If the chance for something better comes a long, take it. You might not get another chance.

5) Women...despite the fact that I work closely with a multitude of Women (and have done so for most of my working life) I still know more about Particle Physics and what happens to stuff that gets sucked into a Black Hole, than I know about Women. Despite this, they are not as scary as I thought. Just like with Judges, what is the worst that can happen.

6) Always assume the dog has more chain. I believe this is self explanatory.

7) If I find myself in a position where a part of my body is involuntarily in the mouth of an unfamiliar Animal, hence forth, said Animal shall be rendered harmless by any means necessary. Questions, will be reserved for a later time.

8) Rabies and Rabies shots. Thankfully, I already knew a lot about the Rabies Virus. This is mostly due to a research project in College. However, I learned that the Rabies shots are not as bad as they used to be. They are by no means a picnic, especially for somone who does not like the sharp pointy things. Also, if you are in South Carolina, and in need of the first set of shots in a hurry, call your local Emergency Rooms. They are the most likely to have a stock of the First Series of shots on hand. Anyone else, including DHEC, will have to order them.

9) Do not trust a Government Agency to have your best interests in mind. Unless you watch them closely they will try and do as little as possible. You would think that I would know this, having worked in the Executive Branch most of my life. But, I am told that I can be quite stubborn.

10) God is good..all the time.

Agent L is still going through a rough time, a year after the accident and they are just now starting to work on her teeth. She will have months of Orthodontics, before they start working on the rest her.

Agent S is two weeks away from returning to work after having a healthy baby boy. However, her recovery had to be halted due to her pregnancy, and should resume if it has not already.

I am back to full duty. Extraditions from Maximum Security Institutions are already in the works. I receive my final Rabies vaccination this Friday and the real battle begins.

I pray that I am here next year and still typing on this blog, and I pray that more progress has been made.

Semper Fi Deus

Goose

A Wedding Tale: Reaction

After nineteen minutes of driving, I arrived at the church. Of course the Rehearsal was already over, but the Rehearsal dinner was still going on. I attempted to slip in quietly. However, my best friend, the Groom, is not one to let that happen.

As soon as he saw me coming through the door, he started barking and howling, and every other male there followed suit. After making my bows, the Groom came up to greet me. "How's my Best Man feeling? I hear those shots are rough." He said as he slaped my left shoulder, finding the exact spot where the RIG was injected. I grimaced and tried to reply, "Not much pain, unless you slap my shoulders and hips. Other than the sudden craving for some raw meat, I'm good." "Glad to hear it. The Maid of Honor looked rather lonely walking herself down the Isle." He said as his soon to be Wife found her way to me. "Here," she said as she handed me her Wedding band. "Do Not loose this." I held out my hand and said, "I shall protect it until my dying breath." And before I knew it she had wrapped her arms around my neck in a hug, "I'm glad you're okay."

After she finished hugging me and I thwarted an attempt from the Groom at poking the RIG injection site (which would continue through out the night), I said, "Now, where's this lonely Maid of Honor I've heard so much about?" I was quickly ushered to a young and attractive lady who shook my hand, "You are okay to walk me down the Isle tomorrow, right?" I replied, "I believe I can manage to walk a beautiful lady down the Isle." "Good. But if you try to bite me I'll have to put you down." "You promise?" "Promise."

More introductions were made. Eventually I was allowed time to eat and tell everyone what happened. Once I was finished we had to clean up and make sure the room was as it was before everyone arrived.

While I was putting up chairs, I noticed that my left eye was starting to itch, a lot. At first I just dismissed it as something in my eye. But, before we finished putting the tables and chairs up, I could tell that my eye was starting to swell. It quickly swelled to the usual level.

Unfortunately, once all the tables and chairs were put away, we had to go set up the area where the reception would be. More unfortunate still, I was assigned to help the Maid of Honor. About half way through she finally asked, "So...what's the matter with your eye?" "Oh that? I'm just trying to imitate Will Smith in Hitch." She only shook her head and kept going.

Once we finished the Groom and the rest of the Groomsmen came over to find out what we were going to do for the rest of the evening. While the Maid of Honor went back to the female flock on the other side of the reception hall. Once the Groom saw my eye he shouted, "Jesus! What is that?!" I heard the Bride ask, "What!? What is it?" He quickly recovered and shouted back, "Nothing Honey. Nothing to worry about." The said to me, "Dude, what's wrong with your eye?" I told him that it had to be an allergic reaction to the shots. "We can't let her see you like that. We have to fix it...and in less than sixteen hours." One of the Groomsmen said, "All he needs is some Benadryl. It'll be down before tomorrow morning." "Great, we need to get it now. Honey, we're gone."

After they got finished saying their goodbyes we were off to find the nearest Grocery Store. Once there I found the Benadryl Liquigels and went ahead and took four. Of course when we got to the register the Cashier pointed out that the box was open. When I did not respond he looked up at me and saw my eye. "Ah...I guess you opened it then." I shook my head and paid. Over the course of the night my eye eventually returned to an almost normal size.

I am not sure if it was luck or divine intervention that I stayed awake longer than the Groom after taking four pills. Of course it could have been the non stop caffeine intake at the pool hall. Just so you all know my job since the start of the dinner was to make sure that the Groom did not get too drunk, the other Groomsmen as well. So, it was not just that I needed to stay awake, my survival depended on it. If I fell asleep on the job and they got plastered, I am fairly certain that the Bride would have put me down herself. She is half my size and weight, but when she says something, she means business. So, the limit on beers from the start was two.

She also said that I was to make sure that we all went to sleep at a reasonable hour. She should have told us to go to bed early. With us not having to wake up until around 0900 hrs, I took a reasonable hours as somewhere around 0300 hrs.

So, at 0200 hrs I told everyone to head home and to get some much needed sleep. The Groom slept at my place due to the fact that he now lives in a different county.

At this point I was just thankful to be going to sleep after a stupidly long day and another one to come.

To Be Continued.

Semper Fi Deus

Goose

A Wedding Tale

Okay, it has been 30 days since the incident and a lot has happened in that time period. As you all know 30 days ago I was bitten by a one to two year old Pitt Bull. Well at the time of the incident, I was told by Animal Control that the Animal in question would be quarantined for 10 days. Silly me believed that since Animal Control placed the quarantine, that they would be the ones that checked the animal to make sure that it did not have Rabies. No one ever stated any different.

Anyway, weeks go by and I see the Animal Control officer often in the mornings at the canteen. He never mentioned anything about the animal having Rabies, so I believed everything was fine. Then I asked him how the hearing went and he simply stated that the owner paid the $185 fine for not having the vaccination tags on the animal. He further stated that she said at the hearing that she did not believe that the animal needed the Rabies vaccine until it became a year old.

So, now I start getting that weird feeling down in my gut and asked if the animal showed any signs of Rabies after the quarantine. He said, "Oh, we don't check the animal. We just place them in quarantine and DHEC (Department of Health and Environmental Control)actually does the check." I then told him that I never heard anything from DHEC and wanted their number to contact them. He obliged.

Once back in the office I call the number that the officer gave me and get a Voice mail for Rabies Control Center for this jurisdiction. I left my contact information and why I was calling as per the instructions. I then called my Claim Representative to see what my options were to get the Rabies Vaccine and found that she would be out of the office until the 10th. I asked to speak with another Representative and was transferred to the first Representative available. We will call her Susan.

I spoke with Susan for several minutes about what we needed to do and she seemed very eager to help me with my problem. Also, a new thing that I was not used to, she wanted the contact information for DHEC. She though they would be a little more forthcoming with the information we needed if we both called. Well after several phone calls and still no answer at the DHEC RCC, I called Susan back and asked her if she had heard anything. She told me that she had no luck with DHEC and called Animal Control to see if there was a different number or any other way to contact them. That was a dead end. At that point it was the end of the day and I went home.

Early the next morning I got a phone call from "Bob" at DHEC RCC. Bob and I spoke for about 20 minutes. The gist of the conversation was that DHEC had no record of the incident and started off by saying that the animal would have to quarantined and we would wait 10 days and check the animal. I told him that it was a little late for that because it has been 28 days since the incident. I told him that I would just go and do their check for them and see if the animal was still there. If he was, there was no threat of Rabies, if he is not there then we have issues. I then asked why there was no record of the bite when Animal control and the ER had to turn in the reports. He said that he did not know the answer to that and would have to get back to me after I did the check.

Once I got off the phone I informed my Supervisor of what was going on and was told to take "Work mom" and Agent A along for the check. I drove to the location of the Incident and soon as I got there, I noticed that the Animal that bit me was not there. This time I stayed with the car and blew the Air Horn until I got a response from the house. In the mean time Agent A pointed out that all the Animals are now on chains and that one of them is foaming at the mouth. I took a look see and noted that it was the little six month old that A) tried to eat my leg, and B) was so ecstatic about company that it tried to jump through the fence.

This little puppy was laying in the grass and would only raise her head enough to wipe the foam from her mouth. Every other dog in the yard was going nuts, barking, running back and forth on their chains, but not this girl. Agent A and Work Mom did their best to get the puppy to at least get up, but could get nothing more than a disoriented glance between wipes.

We immediately called Animal Control and informed them of what was going on and they told us that they would be out there in one to two hours. Mean while the owner came out (in her pajamas again) and promptly asked what I was doing there. That she paid her ticket and the case was done. I advised her that I was out doing the check that DHEC should have done and asked where the animal that bit me was. She promptly pointed at the puppy that was foaming at the mouth, "That's her right there." I called her out on her lie and asked her again where the animal was that bit me, this time describing the animal. She told me that I was mistaken that she had never had such a pit bull and that the only animal that bit me was the one she had already pointed out.

I then asked her what was wrong with the puppy and she said, "Nothings wrong with her. She has allergies. She gets them every year." I said, "Really, and how many years has she seen?" "She's just shy of a year." Then Work Mom pipes in, "Then how the F*&% do you know if it seasonal allergies?! Lady you need to cut the Bull S%&# and tell us what happened to the other dog. Cause if that dog had Rabies then this man needs to get the medicine!" "Lady, if I were him and some strange dog bit me, I would have already gotten the medicine instead of waiting this long."

"Okay," I said, "I don't have time for this. Animal Control is coming out here to take a look at that puppy that obviously has Rabies. I suggest you come up with a better story than Allergies before they get here."

We then left and headed back to the office, where I updated DHEC (well left another message on their machine) and Susan. Susan said that she would get the paperwork started to get the Rabies series done before the close of business. Half an hour later I got a call from Bob at DHEC and relayed what happened. He advised that even though all that was going on, that I had a very low probability of actually having Rabies. But, seeings how we cannot prove one way or the other that the Animal that bit me had Rabies, and the one that she claims bit me now has Rabies, it was best that I go ahead and get the shots.

I then asked Bob what happened to the original report and he said that they ripped that office apart looking for that report, but did not find it. He said that they never received it. That Animal control nor the ER sent the report, and must have thought that that the other sent it. He said that that tends to happen, but if they do not get the report that there is nothing that they can do. Other than remind those agencies, again, that they have to send the reports reguardless of what they believe the other agency is doing.

So, to hurry this story along, while Susan was working through the Red tape of making sure that I did not end up with a $7,000 bill for these shots. I spent my work day trying to find a hospital or doctor office that kept the first series of shots in stock. In the end, only one hospital within my jurisdiction keeps the first series of shots in stock. Apparently, the shots are so expensive and rarely used now that they have to be ordered. Even DHEC RCC does not keep them in stock. Besides, there is usually no Emergency rush to have it now. So, in order to get the shots, I would have to go through the ER, again.

I went to the ER, this time the ER that was not my first choice, and spoke with a security guard who was manning the metal detector (a security measure that I was not expecting). I pulled out my ID and badge and told him I have weapons on me. Yes, plural. Since my supervisor took my service weapon due to me being on light duty, I carry my concealable weapons. He told me to leave all weapons in my vehicle since I was being admitted.

I was surprised at the fact that I barely got through the Triage before they pulled me back. The nice Nurse put me in a 6 by 8 room with no bed. At first she seemed confused as to why no one was in the room and triple checked the fact that no one was supposed to be there. Once she got it straightened out that the room had been reserved for me, she tried to usher me in. But before I stepped in I asked innocently, "But, what happened to other guy that was in here?" She caught my drift and replied, "I don't know. I think he got eaten by the walls or something." That got a nice laugh out of everyone.

Since the Triage Nurse said (over the phone and during Triage) that I would get the shots sometime within the next 8 hours, I pulled out my IPod and kicked back as best I could. I also sent my friend a text telling him that I was going to be late to the wedding rehearsal. While I waited, every 5 to 10 minutes a nurse would come by and make sure I was still in there.

Eventually I spoke with the ER Doctor, who had an attitude about him that I was wasting his time, money, and valuable resources. He explained to me that Rabies travels up the nerves at a rate of 1 inch per day. Since it has been 30 days and there is not 30 inches between the bite and my brain that I could not have Rabies. Even if I did have Rabies and some how by some miracle it had not made it to my brain yet, that taking the series now would not do any good. And that he had never given the Rabies series "just because someone wanted it".

I informed him of the circumstances, and that I did not want to be there any more than he wanted me there, because I hate needles and I had a Wedding rehearsal to be at. But, depending on how much of the virus I might have received and the strength of the virus, it can take up to 2 years to reach the Brain. I got an angry look for that comment. Besides all that, Workman Comp, my Supervisors, the liaison for Workman Comp, and DHEC all told me to get the shots. At that the Doctor started walking out of the room and said, "Well, I'm only an ER Doctor. If DHEC is telling you get it then, you'll get it."

An hour later a Nurse comes in with a handful syringes and says, "Okay, after this, me and you aren't going to be friends." "Wow," I said, "that's a lot on needles." Out in the hall I heard the Doctor say, "That's what he wanted." before the door shut. In the next 5 minutes I received 7 shots, none in the abdomen. The first was the Rabies Immune Globulin. The most expensive of the bunch in the left shoulder. Usually it is administered at the bite site, but since it has been a month the Doctor advised to give it in the shoulder. I guess I should be thankful that he did not want to try and administer it right to my brain. Anyway, the other shots went into my other arm and hips.

Once the Nurse was done, she had me wait to make sure there was no serious reaction to the meds. After the wait, she gave me some Advil and three year old Graham Crackers (I just found it odd that they would have that much of a back stock).

When the paperwork was printed up, the Nurse told me where I would be going for the next series of shots and pointed me to the exit. I promptly got lost in the maze and found myself in a Hispanic waiting area. They all noticed the confused look and pointed me to the nearest exit. It was not the exit that I was looking for, but I knew where I was. When I got back to my car I strapped my guns back on under the watchful glare of an unarmed security guard at the end of the row of cars.

Seconds later I was off to the Wedding rehearsal that I was an hour late to.

To be continued...

Semper Fi Deus

Goose

My Left Hand

To start, an update. My hand still has a nasty hole in it, however, I have managed to give it enough air to stop clotting on the bandages and reopening the wound every time I change them. I am still fortunate enough to not have any severe pain in the wounded area. Unless I move it or touch it in a way that it does not like. Hopefully it will not take to long to heal from this point.

Now for an update on Agent L. She got some really depressing news this week. After a month of the Doctors telling her that she could have surgery next month to start the road to recovery, they instead told her that she would have to have orthodontic work first. So, now she will have to have braces for 9 months to a year before she can have her first surgery. Beyond telling us that sliver of news, she has effectively shut us out. She will be needing prayers.

On to the point of the post. I am sure that many of you right handed people out there have a lot of scars on your left hand, at least I do. From play to work, my left hand takes the brunt of any punishment coming my way.

I have always used my left hand to catch me when I fall or a fly ball heading my way during a baseball game. It is also the hand that is put forward to ward off any attacks. It was also unfortunate enough to be to close to a Pitt Bull on a chain.

Just looking at the palm of my left hand, I see two scars that have a common denominator, injury with no pain.

The first scar is in the Thumb area. To look at it, it does not look all that special. To most people it would look more like a wart than a scar. I received this scar, like the ones that are forming now, in the line of duty.

I was a Reserve Deputy at the time. I was riding with a Deputy on the west side, one of the rougher parts of town, and we were trying to locate a pack of Car thieves. They had just stolen a car from a local gas station. We were about a mile away, and heading toward the scene, when we saw the vehicle.

Unfortunately, they saw us as well. They ducked down a side street and into a residential area. As we were preparing to give chase the vehicle stopped and the driver "Bush Bonded". As soon as my car stopped I gave chase.

In an attempt to elude me and the deputy that was behind me, the driver ran behind a near by house and started fence hopping. Unfortunately for us, all of the chain link fences that we were hopping had a twisted selvage ("V" shaped barbs on the top of the fence). I believe we jumped about 5 or 6 fences before we were clear of the back yards.

I did rather well dodging the barbs on all the fences except the last. I felt the barb puncture the skin and felt as I rotated on it while I was clearing the fence. There was no pain, just pressure. The chase continued for another 100 yards when the Driver hit the woods. We soon lost the driver in the underbrush.

Once he was out of sight we stopped. We could hear him crashing though the underbrush for a good five seconds. Then it stopped with a loud splash. We moved up cautiously weapons ready. We came to a creek about 10 yards across. The driver was lying right in the middle of it spread eagle, face up in three inches of water. We quickly got him into custody and out of the woods as back up arrived.

We secured the Driver in the car of one of the arriving Deputies who pointed out that we were all bleeding. I just had the one puncture wound. The driver was cut and punctured in several places, not just his hands. EMS was called out and transported the Driver and myself to the ER (I volunteered to ride down with the Driver).

After several hours in the ER getting x-rayed, poked, and prodded we were all released and the Driver was taken to Jail.

I was really lucky that the puncture did not cause any damage other than to the tissue. Considering where the puncture was, it could have done a lot of damage to my hand. But, in a few weeks it was good as it ever was.

The other scar on my left hand is a upside down V on the Middle finger, proximal phalanges, palm side (the tuft of meat between the second knuckle and palm). This injury came about in a little less...grand way. In fact it was down right stupid (funny how that keeps happing).

It was just before Christmas a few years back. I was helping the Float crew finish up the Christmas Float for the Church. Our church builds a float every year and enters in several local Christmas Parades to spread the true meaning of Christmas to the masses.

This was my second year helping. I was cutting strips of velcro into smaller more manageable one inch squares. Well, I am not really sure at what point my brain shut down. But, at some point I decided that the best way to cut these strips was to hold one end between my middle and index finger and the other with my ring finger and thumb.

The next thing I notice is a fully closed pair of scissors and a flap of skin over them. I quickly put down the scissors and started applying pressure. That is after taking a good long look at the fatty tissue in my finger. I called out to one of the other workers who just so happened to be a Registered Nurse. I just asked her to take a look at my hand. She obliged and did not react a lot when she saw the wound. She merely took hold of my hand and held it to where she could see better. She then lifted the flap with a fingernail and attempted to place it back where it should have been.

After examining it she stated, "It's a clean cut. It'll need stitches though. Go wash it out good before you head to the ER." I did as I was told while she went and told my mother to take me to the closest ER.

A few seconds after I started washing my hand in warm tap water, the husband of the RN came into the washroom and wanted to take a look at my hand. He said, "She's a good Nurse, but if you got a paper cut she'll tell ya' it needs stitches...Holy crap! You really did a number on your finger. Yeah, you need stitches." He then took a paper towel and tore it in half. One half he gave to me, the other he kept. The half he kept he rolled up and tied it around my finger at the wound. The other he wrapped around my finger and ushered me out the door to the waiting car.

A couple hours in the ER and 6 stitches later I was back home.

Out of the three times I have been to the ER the highest pain score given (o is no pain and 10 being Oh my God someone kill me) was a 2, which got some odd looks from the Nurses.

Just to go ahead and clarify something, this post is not meant to brag about how tough and calm I am. I am actually allergic to pain. I do not like it, it does not like me, and I avoid it as much as possible. So, I will be sure and keep a close look out for my left hand until it gets healed.

Semper Fi Deus

Goose

Gunslinger on the Bench

Okay, I'm going to have drop my Mid-world persona for the day. Why you ask. Well due to a combination of really good medicine and the fact that my left hand looks like it was attacked by a funnel web spider, kind of hampers my ability to type and think enough to keep up the facade.

So, as of yesterday I'm on medical leave, at least until Tuesday. All this stems from me going against my gut. I put myself in a situation I knew was stupid and I went anyway.

Yesterday, I was out conducting Home Visits by myself, Casey opted to stay at the office and finish filling out paperwork for court. So, I went out solo. Nothing unusual, I've done it before. I did it a lot when I was a Deputy in fact. At around 1145 hours I pulled up in front of an Offender's reported address. I recognized the house from the first time this Offender got out on Probation. The first time there were less dogs though. I stepped out of the car and closed the door. Four medium to small dogs all come running out of their hidey holes and start barking enough to wake the dead. I was thankful of the fenced in yard.

I walk over to the front gate and waited to see what happened. I figured that if anyone was in the house, that they would at least walk to a window and see me standing there and come to investigate. Well, after five minutes of barking, I decided that there was no way anyone was home and I would have to leave a note on the door.

During the five minutes of waiting I was checking out the dogs. Three Pit Bulls and one chow mix. The chow and one of the Pit Bulls (the oldest and about 1 - 2 years old) were chained to the house. The two younger (one 6 months and the other barely old enough to be away from momma) Pits were running lose in the yard.

I toyed with the 6 month old pit, trying to gauge how he would react to me coming into his home. He was very interested at getting to me. I placed my hand near enough to the fence to stop any bites, but close enough for him to smell and or lick at me. He did the latter. I then checked out the oldest pit. He was giving out the body language of being playful and happy to see me, but my gut was telling me that he was chained for a reason and that body language was misleading.

As I started to open the front gate the 6 month old lunged at me. Coming halfway through the opening in the gate. Luckily all he was interested in doing was licking. I whacked him on the nose to get him back inside the gate and remembered that I needed to get a note for the door. I retrieved it and began my journey of stupidity.

As I started walking toward the door I was better able to see the trail that the two chained dogs had made. Both dogs had been positioned to guard the front door. But, from the trails their maximum chain length allowed plenty of room to get to the front door.

The rest is kind of jumbled. I remember almost getting to the front porch, when I felt something pull my left hand. Surely all of you know the feeling of a small child tugging your hand for whatever reason. That's all I felt. I looked down and saw my hand in the oldest pits mouth. My middle, ring, and pinkie fingers all the way up to mid-hand, to be exact.

I then did the most natural and dumbest thing anyone can do, I tried to pull my hand out. When I did that he clamped down and started shaking. All I felt was pressure, no pain. My brain flooded with thoughts as to what to do. I knew this was bad. The attack mode that the oldest was in could easily send the little 6 month old the message to do the same. If the 6 month old hit me in the right spot, I could go down and that would be really bad. It had to be ended now.

The thought process went as follows: Punch it! Punch it in the nose! No, what if he grabs a hold of your other hand, and if grabs a hold of it you can't shoot him. Shoot him? That's right shoot him! Crap! I can't, he's shaking my arm to much and I might shoot myself in the process. Well, do something!...The dog whisperer! If a dog he's working with needs a little extra distracting, he gives them a little kick between the ribs and back legs!

I then kick with everything I can put behind it, right in the sweet spot. The dog yelped, giving me enough time to get my hand out of his mouth. From bite to release, maybe five seconds.

I then took a few steps back toward the gate and stopped to check out the damage. I noted a few places where I was starting to bleed. I then noticed a hole in the webbing between the middle and ring finger. It wasn't bleeding, but when I spread those two fingers, all I saw was white. My thought was that I really hope that that's just fatty tissue and not bone and ligaments.

At some point I remember the dogs and noticed that something was trying to eat my ankle. Unable to find purchase to get a hold of my ankle because of my boot, it started going to town on my pants leg. Since it was just the pants leg I just started walking toward the gate. I'm not sure how I managed to get the gate closed, but I did. I then went back to the car for the phone and was so shaken that I couldn't dial 911 the first couple of tries.

Once I actually got a hold of the emergency operator, I advised her of who I was, who I worked for, and where I was. I told her that I was attacked by a dog and needed a Deputy and and ambulance. Her response was, "Is it your dog?" "No. It's not my dog. I'm at at an offender's house doing a home visit." "Is the dog still attacking you?" Really, "No! The dog isn't attacking me!" "Okay sir, I'm going to transfer you to the EMS operator."

Once a hold of the EMS operator, I had to go through the same exact line of questions with the added bonus of medical advise. That consisted of keep the wounded hand elevated and wipe the wounded area down with a damp cloth. During the conversation with the EMS operator, I started looking through the car for the first aid kit and of course, no luck.

Once I was done with the operators I had to call the office and give the bad news. After a few seconds with the Admin at the front desk I was transferred to our Assistant Agent In Charge. After five minutes of explaining the situation, he then told me that I would have to talk to my Supervisor to get the paperwork going. Really, we couldn't have done that a few minutes earlier.

After a few minutes on the phone with my Supervisor, I noticed a woman standing on the front porch of the house. She was standing there holding the new born pit with nothing more than a night gown and a bath robe on. Once I saw her, I told her to come over and speak with me, "YOU! GET OVER HERE! NOW!" was the gist of it. She calmly walked over, giving the chained pit a kick when it tried to start playing with her.

Once she came over, I went into full police mode, getting her name, age, date of birth, contact information, whether the dog had it's Rabies shot (she claimed it does, but couldn't find the information or the tags), I even managed to find out that my offender was not living at this address. Once I got all that, I told her that she needed to go back inside and get dressed for when the Deputies came and see if she could fine the Rabies shot info. She obliged.

After three minutes of waiting, EMS arrived. They cleaned and bandaged the wounds and let me sit in the back of the ambulance while we waited for the deputies. After ten minutes the county Animal Control arrived. He told me the Deputies were not coming and that he was going to take care of it. Which meant giving the owner a ticket for not having the Rabies tags and quarantining the dog at the house (since it was already chained up and what not) for the next ten days, to make sure that it didn't exhibit any signs of Rabies. Animal control told me when the hearing date would be, but that if the owner provided the tags and/or information for the Rabies shots that the charges would be dropped. It was only going to be $185 ticket anyway.

Once I got the EMS crews information and the information from Animal control, I signed the waiver to not be transported to the Hospital and drove myself to, in my opinion, the best ER in the County. One of the perks of being in Law Enforcement, you tend to go to a lot of ER's, and learn quick which is the best to go to in the event of an Emergency.

After a short drive and an even shorter wait in the ER lobby, I was taken to triage. While trying to answer the barrage of questions, I got a text message from Casey, "Call me when you get a sec." Thinking this was just to get a heckle, I told him that it would be a while before I could do that. A few seconds later I got another text from him asking if I could run by the jail and help him to serve a warrant. I just told him that I wouldn't be able to due to paperwork that I would be doing later.

While I was going through Triage, one of the Supervisors came in to make sure that everything was going smoothly and to keep me company. Interesting that my Supervisor didn't do that.

Anyway, after four hours in the ER, being poked, prodded, x-rayed, and IVed to my limit, they let me go.

The Supervisor insisted on driving me back to the office, where I was immediately inundated with questions and of course made fun of, mostly by Casey for not telling him I was in the ER. Of all the people in my office that have had the privilege of being called "milkbone", I am the only one that has the moniker of "Chain".

Once, I answered everyone's questions, mostly my Supervisor's, I was allowed to go home for the weekend. Since I had Court scheduled for today (and y'all know how much I hate that) it's not such a bad trade. Although, I will be chained to a desk for the foreseeable future, that part will suck.

For now, I get to discuss things with my workman's comp representative and get that paperwork going. On Monday (which is a holiday for us South Carolina state employees) I get to go see a hand specialist to make sure that everything is okay with my hand. Of course the ER doctor did mention words such as surgery, but I don't think that will be necessary unless the wound gets infected to a point that antibiotics aren't working.

Since, I have a lot more free time, I might just have a post about past injuries ;)

Semper Fi Deus

Goose

The Gunslinger vs. The "Bug"

For the past two days I have been battling some form of an Ailment that I have never seen before. Luckily it is easily treated. However, this is not my first bout with this "Bug."

The first time occurred some time in early March, I believe it to be March 8th. It was 2000 hrs and I noticed that my joints started aching. Normally, this would not be that strange, if I was older. Or, if it was not every single joint below my heart. I dismissed it as the joints stiffening after a different type of workout.

After about half an hour I noticed that the pain was steadily becoming more...noticeable. Then the headache started. This I just dismissed as a caffeine detox from not having any kind of carbonated drinks that day.

As the night wore on the joint pain went from slight ache to red hot pokers jabbed into every joint below the chest. I was completely unaware of how many joints I had below the heart. Now I know.

I am not much for taking any sorts of medicine unless it is absolutely necessary. In this case I decided it was time for an exception and began searching the house for some Advil, Tylenol, Aleve, anything to stop the pain.

Not one single pill in the entire house. What a time not to have a wife, she would have made sure that kind of thing was kept in stock. However, due to the fact that it was now late in the evening, I decided that it would have to wait until later.

With the "Bug" in full swing, I slept through the first couple of Snoozes. When I finally reached consciousness it was 0630. So much for the morning routine.

I zipped through the morning routine in double time fashion and headed off for work. Yeah you heard true, work. Actually, I had to make a quick pit stop first at the car shop to drop off my car and meet Casey.

This was the 3rd or 4th time my car had been to the car shop for different things. Let us just say that it was a necessary thing that needed doing and would take all day, therefore I might as well go to work. Yet, another good reason to have a wife around.

Once the car was dropped off, Casey pulled up and told me of his wonderful night. That was the night that his daughter nearly plucked out his right eye. On the way to the office I told him about my night. Once there it was business as usual, except for the pain.

As the day wore on the "Bug" decided it would try something different. Now, it added hot to cold flashes and the pain would come in waves. The pain in my joints would go from red hot pokers to flaming hot poker of Death, then back again. After a while I just forgot about the headache.

To limit any possible infections to my fellow co-workers and in particular Agent S (who was still expecting at this time) I stayed to myself. Which apparently in in of itself raised suspicion. All through the day everyone was asking if I was okay, to which I gave the obligatory, "Yes, I'm fine. Just a little busy." Which they understood.

That is until about 1500 hours. Agent S came to me (one of the last male Agents in our office) to arrest a mail offender for her. I thought it over and told her that I did not believe it to be a good Idea, again not normal behavior. She asked me why and I was about to answer, when a wave of flaming hot pokers of Death hit. It apparently showed on my face. She then asked if I was okay to which I could only reply no. Once the pain subsided to what had become normal I explained what was going on.

She then went and told everyone else in the office and by the time everyone came to check on me, I was dying of Swine Flu. Funny how even among Law Enforcement details get distorted.

After a very long question and answer series about the illness and why I was at work, the session was ended by Work Mom, who simply stated, "If I get sick, I will shoot you." I thanked everyone for their concern and they went about the business of arresting the Offender.

At around 1650 hrs I received notification that my car was ready to be picked up. Casey dropped me off at the car shop and I promptly drove home. On the way, I called my Mother and told her what was going on and what I should do. She told me to pick up a pack of Advil Liqui-gels and a pack of Mucinex-DM.

Once home I took the "prescibed" medicine and waited. About two hours later I noticed an odd sensation. I felt as though the finger of God was sliding down my back cooling (and removing) the pokers.

This apparently torked the "Bug" off and he switched to a different Modus Operandi all together. About an hour later my left eye began to itch like crazy. Thinking nothing of it, I did my best to relieve the itch. That is until I noticed that I was becoming increasingly difficult to reopen each time it closed. I hopped up and went to the nearest mirror.

To my horror, my eye had swollen to the size of a golf ball. I immediately iced it down and called my mother and chalked it up to an allergic reaction to the Mucinex (the only one of the two drugs I had never taken before). After a while my eye returned to a normal-ish size and life returned to normal. I continued taking the Advil doses for a couple of days just to make sure the "Bug" did not come back.

I did not have any more problems with the "Bug" until this past Friday night. The "Bug" apparently did not take to kindly to being whooped. This time he brought a friend. Pollen Allergy. With my sinuses acting up it was hard to discern the headache from the sinus pain. But once the joint stuff started up, I immediately took a dose of Advil. Same all most immediate response. Except this time my right eye swole up. Thankfully I had an entire weekend to get over this thing because I needed it. I do not think I have ever slept so much in my life.

Anyway, it is now Sunday night and as far as I can tell the "Bug" is gone, at least for now. The symptoms are as follows: Severe pain in lower joints, mild headache, mild fever and slight chills late in the onset, the swollen eye thing could be the "Bug" reacting to the Advil Liqui-gels, I am not sure. But, if anyone out there has experienced this or is an actual Doctor with knowledge in how for me not to go through this crap again, please let me know. Thank you.

Semper Fi Deus

Goose